The Rock to main event WrestleMania 40 against one of his biggest WWE rivals? And it's not Roman Reigns

The Rock returned to WWE for the first time in four years last week on SmackDown, and it has seemingly opened the door to future appearances.

WrestleMania 40 is being pushed as the biggest in WWE's history, and that means The Rock could be an integral part of it.

The obvious idea here would be for The Rock to take on Reigns and win his championship, but where would that lead? The Rock is a part-time performer, so he can't defend the gold regularly if he dethroned The Tribal Chief.

It seems like a better option here would be to allow The Rock to main event against someone else, someone who has a real issue with the former champion and has lost a title to him in the past.

CM Punk and The Rock have crossed paths several times. Moreover, The Great One stealing the spotlight of full-time talents at WrestleMania 27 was a huge part of Punk's infamous pipebomb. Hence, the two have enough history to kickstart a high-profile program before next year's 'Mania.

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Could CM Punk return at WWE Royal Rumble 2024?

The ideal way to set up this match would be for CM Punk to return at the Royal Rumble event 10 years after he departed the company. After failing to win the multi-man bout, Punk could cut another promo about how it will be Reigns vs. The Rock at WrestleMania, and he will once again miss out on headlining the show.

The Second City Saint could then call out The Rock, leading to a match between the two stars on Night One of WrestleMania. Roman Reigns could then defend his championship on Night Two.

If the situation plays out, it would be interesting to see if the added stipulation is that the winner of The Rock vs. CM Punk goes on to face Roman Reigns or if Reigns takes on Cody Rhodes for a second time.

Do you think The Rock could main event 'Mania against CM Punk? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.